The elected representative from Hauts-de-France says she draws inspiration from Wales. Marine Tondelier, an ecological candidate in the presidential election, wants France to adopt a law to “ban lying in politics, under penalty of ineligibility,” taking the Welsh model as an example, she announced on Friday in a blog post.
France must equip itself with “a solid legislative arsenal to protect the quality of the public debate,” namely “a law that, very clearly, sanctions you if you lie,” says the head of the Ecologists.
Her proposal targets “factual and deliberate lies,” she clarifies, adding: “freedom of expression has never been the freedom to say anything and to mislead deliberately.”
“The author of the sentence must be fully aware of this falsehood or, at the very least, cannot ignore it, and finally must have had the clear intention to deceive.”
The presidential candidate relies on the testimony of Horizons senator Vincent Louault, who, during an episode of “Complément d’Enquête” broadcast Thursday night on France 2, admitted having “made a fake news” during the recent debates on acetamiprid.
As a reminder, the Welsh Parliament adopted a measure aimed at banning lies by candidates during the legislative elections. It will not be implemented before 2030 and even provides a system for the recall of elected officials.
“Around the world, the right and the far right deliberately use disinformation to advance,” denounces Marine Tondelier again.
